Border communities call for more spending for legal crossing
Border communities call for more spending for legal crossings
Associated Press - March 31, 2008 3:54 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress has focused on fortifying the nation's borders to crack down on illegal immigration.
But officials from border communities say more money and attention also needs to go to beefing up legal entry points for those who cross daily for business and pleasure.
Members of the Border Trade Alliance opened a 2-day conference in Washington today to discuss the latest strains on cross-border traffic and commerce.
Some of the needs are as simple as placing bathrooms near inspectors' booths in Pharr, Texas, so vehicle lanes aren't shut down when an inspector needs to take a break.
Other needs will take more money, such as filling thousands of port staff vacancies.
On the Net:
Border Trade Alliance: http://www.thebta.org
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=8095402